


White Knight Talking Backwards

by jennifer (pandorablu)



Category: American Idol RPF
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-03
Updated: 2010-10-03
Packaged: 2017-10-12 09:29:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/123426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandorablu/pseuds/jennifer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written as part of vampirebigbang over at livejournal.  I had a mixer as well as an artist, which was cool as anything.  For some crazy reason I decided to create the vampire mythos stuff for this fic and not have it be a crossover of some form, but it'll probably be kinda obvious what it's based off of.</p><p>... and I swear I don't hate Archie? *shifts her feet*</p>
    </blockquote>





	White Knight Talking Backwards

**Author's Note:**

> Written as part of vampirebigbang over at livejournal. I had a mixer as well as an artist, which was cool as anything. For some crazy reason I decided to create the vampire mythos stuff for this fic and not have it be a crossover of some form, but it'll probably be kinda obvious what it's based off of.
> 
> ... and I swear I don't hate Archie? *shifts her feet*

The club was loud, music pouring out the speakers at such a volume that the bass beat from whatever club remix was hot at the moment making the floorboards literally vibrate in time. People crowded the dance floor, mindless bodies swaying back and forth, some to a rhythm only existing in their own heads.

And Kris hated every bit of it.

His demon was restless though, and when Cook had mentioned that Archie was in another one of his fits, going to the underground club seemed like the best option available.

"You'd think you were here against your will." Cook smirked before taking a pull of his beer. He didn't need the alcohol, but Kris knew from personal experience that some habits never really died.

Even if you did.

Kris rolled his eyes. "Just hate the song."

"Hate the people, hate the club… " Cook trailed off with a smile still on his face, the argument well worn and familiar to the two of them. Cook turned away to look out over the darkened dance floor from the booth the two of them were occupying high above the crowd.

Kris turned to his right as he heard the high picked laughter of Megan. Anoop was kissing the hollow of her neck with the same familiar abandon Kris saw every night, but the brunette boy doing the same thing on the other side of her neck was new. Kris raised his eyebrow.

Megan's smile was wide and bright, rimmed by her cherry red stained lips as she said, "Anoop and I just wanted to say bye before we left with Roger here." She let her fingers trail through Roger's hair, blood red tipped nails passing back and forth as they ruffled his hair.

"Wild night?" Kris's lips stretched into their own smirk.

"Something like that." Megan winked. "Don't wait up." She said before turning around.

"Don't plan on it." Kris said, voice swallowed by the din of the crowd. He knew Megan and Anoop heard   
him loud and clear though.

"Anoop and Matt are two lucky bastards." Cook laughed. Kris wasn't about to argue.

Kris let his eyes fall back onto the dance floor. "I think Archie found his blonde." He said softly, watching Cook's lover as he worked his bashful act on his choice of prey for the night.

"And that's my cue." Cook's Irish bough was in full force, playing up the accent before descending down to the club floor and doing the act he and Archie did almost every other night.

"Just get Archie back before sunrise this time." Kris reminded his second in command before leaving. The scorch marks were still in the heavy wooden door from the last time Cook had given in to Archie's whims.

Cook couldn't help the shiver. "Don't remind me." Cook finished his glass and let it fall to the table, the thunk of it hitting the table reaching Kris's ears. "Don't stay out too late yourself." Cook raised his eyebrow before leaving Kris to his own devices.

Kris's own glass of ale was sitting almost forgotten on the table top, his finger circling around the rim of the glass endlessly. He didn't know what he wanted that night. The fake blondes that practically over populated Los Angeles didn't hold his interest at all and while he was aching for something different… exotic… he didn't want any of those cute little Asians either.

His eyes had almost gone over everyone in the club before he saw him.

The bright blue eyes seemed to be looking right at him, tucked away in the corner of the dark upstairs VIP levels of the club. The members of Kris's clan were the only ones who knew where he was, but those eyes held Kris's attention for longer than he had ever been comfortable with, alive or dead.

Kris watched as the stranger tucked up closer to the shorter boy he was dancing with, one of his arms trailing up and down the flank of the boy. Kris continued to watch as the blue eyed stranger settled a hand in the shaggy blonde and black hair, giving it a tug before claiming a kiss. The actions were all to satisfy the boy in his arms, but he only had eyes for Kris, impossible as that seamed.

Kris's demon perked up, imagining all the things he could do with the stranger who now had his undivided attention. Kris had a weakness for prey that was taller than him, letting them think they had the upper hand before changing that all in the blink of an eye.

Kris watched as the stranger laughed at something the shorter boy said, the long pale column of his throat exposed and tantalizing to Kris from his position far away.

Kris had to have him. Mind, body, soul, Kris didn't care as long as the stranger with the blue eyes was his for the night and his alone.

Kris broke his gaze for a split second, turning to collect his leather jacket, but when Kris turned back to where the stranger had been he was gone. Swallowed up by the crowd almost as if he had never existed in the first place.

Kris felt as his demon howled in rage.

~~~

Ever since Archie had joined their group, Kris had gotten into the habit of waiting up for Cook to come back to the mansion. Most nights that meant waiting until sunrise, but Kris didn't mind. He didn't feel the pull of sunrise, hadn't in decades, so it wasn't unusual for other members of the clan to see Kris sitting in the small foyer of the mansion, attention focused on the opening and closing of the front door. Anoop was the only one who ever seemed to comment, raising a single eyebrow in question as Megan and Matt pulled him along back to their room. Kris's only response each time was to let out a small smirk.

Kris took another sip of the bourbon in his tumbler and listened more intently as he heard scuffling sounds on the other side of the front door. Kris looked over to the large grandfather clock in the corner of the room.

Forty five minutes until sunrise.

The night before had been fifteen.

The heavy wood of the front door creaked as it opened. Kris saw that Archie was actually leaning against the door, and it must have been his weight that caused the door to open. Archie had one hand on Cook's waist and the other tightly gripping long blonde tresses of hair from the decapitated head of the woman Kris recognized from earlier that night, her now pale and slacken features stained in her own blood. Cook had one hand threaded in the hairs at the nape of Archie's neck, and the other one loosely around the door knob. He was also rather busy cleaning the back of Archie's mouth.

Kris cleared his throat. Loudly.

Twice.

After a very long moment, the two of them separated, both of their lips puffy and red stained. Archie's lips curled into a pout. "I didn't want you to stop. The birds stop singing our song when you stop kissing me."

Cook passed a hand through Archie's hair and gave him another rough kiss. "I only need to talk to Kris for a moment babe. We'll get those birds singing again."

Archie brightened up immediately. "Really? So they'll sing all day?"

"All day." Cook agreed.

Archie let a finger tip trail across Cook's bottom lip for a moment, popping it into his mouth and sucking on the combination of spittle and blood left on the tip. His lips curled around his finger into a devilish smile, his fangs peaking out. The finger finally came out of his mouth with a lewd popping sound. "Yummy."

Turning to Kris, Archie said, "I think waiting for him is worth it. His eyes are pretty like the sky." Archie said wistfully before making his way towards the room he and Cook shared, the blonde head he'd taken home as a pretend doggie bag swinging back and forth at his side like a pendulum as he walked.

"He seems better tonight." Kris said lowly. He took a sip of his bourbon.  
"You weren't even trying to be subtle." Cook said as he rested against the small countertop the clan used as a bar, his own tumbler of bourbon in his hand.

"Why pretend?" Kris smirked.

"Whoever he was, he must have gotten under your skin something good. The blood's on your shirt." Cook pointed to the side of Kris's face. "Still on your cheek too."

Kris just shrugged.

"I haven't seen you that messy since Andrew was killed by that hunter." Cook said slowly was he watched Kris, waiting to see how Kris would react.

"You know I don't make it a habit to lose my temper." Kris said evenly.

"Which means whoever you saw with the blue eyes really got to you. I guess he was your original target for the night?"

"I took my eyes off him for one second. And he was gone. That's never happened before."

"And you hate that." Cook smirked, finishing the thought. "Hence your imitation of a messy eater."

"Remind me why I turned you again?" Kris petulantly rolled his eyes as he finished the drink.

"My sparkling charm and personality."

"Asshole." Kris smirked at the barb.

Cook paused. "Archie's probably right you know." He said as Kris started to walk away.

"Yeah. He usually is." Kris said without turning to look back at Cook.

The only sound as Kris made his way to his chambers was the clink of the ice in Cook's drink.

~~~

It was a month before Kris saw the stranger again.

Kris had finally started to believe in the fact that he would never see him again, that for once Archie's backhanded fortune telling was wrong, when he found him. The LA club scene was a massive and twisting throng of people every night, some never to be seen again. The longer Kris had to wait, the less likely Kris though he'd ever see him again.

It wasn't the same club as last time, this one had more of an affinity to those who loved leather and chains, but the stranger seemed at home even more here than when Kris had first seen him, wearing leather pants that seemed like a second skin and a leather vest that laced up the sides over a shirt so sheer it was barely there. Kris wasted no time in stalking towards his prey, Cook's laugh faint and ringing in his ears.

The stranger was by himself this time, dancing in the middle of the crowd and not caring at all if he was the center of attention. Kris wrapped an arm around him. "Mind if I dance with you?"

The stranger turned around. "Not at all." His demon wanted to wipe that smirk off his face, but Kris knew when to not let himself give in to his baser impulses.

The stranger leaned down to whisper in Kris's ear to be heard above the din of the club. "Name's Adam."

"Kris." Kris said, his Southern accent heavier than normal.

"Well then Kris, let's dance!" Adam let his hands fall on Kris's waist, the smirk still on his face.

Kris mentally flipped off his demon and let his own hands rest on Adam's waist, staring up into Adam's eyes.

The only way Kris could tell the passage of time over the next few hours was how he felt his demon restlessly pacing inside of him, waiting for the upper hand to claim Adam as his own. But until then he was content to let his hands run through the black hair at the base of Adam's scalp, his short nails gently massaging the skin there.

Adam finally leaned down again so Kris could hear him. "Want to get some air with me?"

His demon stopped pacing and Kris's lips became a wicked grin full of promise. "You read my mind." Adam took his hand as Kris let him lead the two of them out of the club into the dingy side street.

In less time than it took for the door to click closed, Kris had turned Adam around so he was enclosed between Kris's arms. "Smell so good." Kris said as he let his demon's impulses take hold and rested his head in the crook of Adam's neck, smelling a faint kind of cologne, sweat, and underneath it all a rich earth smell that tickled the back of Kris's memories but he couldn't place.

Adam laughed. "I was wondering how long it was going to take you."

Kris stared straight into the blue eyes that had been haunting his nights. "You knew?" He asked, his elongated fangs letting off a glint in the overhead light. No one knew what he was, unless he wanted them to.

Adam leaned down. "Knew that first night." He whispered into Kris's ear.

Kris stopped and really looked at Adam. He wasn't a vampire, since his demon was just as perplexed as he was. But those blue eyes were fathomless and weary in a way that spoke of experience and not just wonderment. "What are you?"

Adam kissed Kris right underneath the streetlight, letting his tongue sweep past both of Kris's fangs. "Wouldn't you like to know." He whispered against Kris's lips.

Kris leaned in for his own kiss, one that was more fast and brutal than the one Adam had laid against his own lips. Adam's lips curled into a smile.

"So tell me." Kris said as he moved down to Adam's pulse point on his neck, letting his fangs scrape over the thin skin there.

Adam moved his neck and let Kris have better access. "A vampire." Kris let his tongue swipe over the blood that beaded up along the shallow cut. "Master." Adam breathed out.

Kris nosed along Adam's collar bone, going underneath the collar of Adam's shirt and taking in Adam's scent. He stopped when he got to the other side. "Well that's unexpected." The scar tissue on the left side of Adam's neck was faint, but if you knew what you were looking for it was like a beacon.

A beacon that screamed this wasn't Adam's first time being fed on by a vampire. Far from it.

"I'm filled with surprises." Kris heard Adam say, watching out of the corner of his eye as his adam's apple bobbed up and down. Kris found he couldn't argue with that.

Kris gripped Adam's hand. He normally didn't make impulsive decisions, hadn't since he'd been alive, but there was something about Adam that was driving his demon nuts . Adam wasn't just food for the night, he was something else. Maybe something better. Gripping his hand, Kris said, "Come with me."

Kris couldn't miss the smirk on Adam's face. "Thought you'd never ask."

~~~

Adam seemed to give as good as he got. By the time they got back to the mansion, if Kris was human, Adam would have left bruises in the morning. Pushing open the front door, Kris was oddly glad that he was the only one home.

"Anybody home?" Adam whispered against Kris's lips as the two started another round of bruising kisses. Kris was quickly becoming addicted to those kisses.

"Sunrise isn't for four hours."

"Not enough time." Adam smirked as Kris lead him by memory towards his chambers.

"We'll see about that." Kris nipped on Adam's lip hard enough to draw a bead of blood, Adam letting out a short bark of laughter.

Kris kicked the door closed without looking when they finally reached the room. Adam's hands were busy taking off his vest as he said, "But I thought we were the only ones here."

"You're mine. No one else can have you." Kris said as he unbuttoned Adam's shirt and slid his hands under the sheer fabric , raking his short nails over Adam's sides.

"I think I can find a way to live with that." Kris pushed Adam onto the massive four poster bed in the middle of the room, noticing for the first time the numerous freckles splayed across Adam's chest.

Kris leaned over Adam on the bed, sucking over the faint scarring on his neck. "When we're finished, you're going to tell me who gave you this."

"Mmm." Adam moaned as Kris left his neck and started going down the now exposed skin on his chest, nipping and sucking along the way. Adam's hands clenched into the silk sheets of the bed, restraining himself from fisting them in Kris's hair.

Kris let his tongue circle around Adam's bellybutton before getting to his low slung leather pants and his belt. In the blink of an eye he had divested Adam of the belt and had unzipped the pants to palm his dick.

Adam bit down on his already mashed up bottom lip, trying to restrain his groan.

At hearing the barely audible groan, Kris made his way back up Adam's body and gave him another hard kiss. "Let it out." Kris smirked, pressing down hard on Adam's dick.

Adam moaned again, this time loud enough to bounce off the walls. "That's more like it." Kris said with one last kiss before going back down on Adam, pulling off the leather pants with a tug. The two of them heard the unmistakable sound of a seam ripping before Kris tugged them completely off.

"Those were my favorite." Adam pouted.

"I'll get you another pair." Kris said softly as his palm stroked up and down Adam's length with a small amount of pressure.

"Fuck, just do that again." Adam moaned as Kris smiled. Kris moved down until he could put the tip of Adam's dick in his mouth, tonguing the slit.

Adam's head started to thrash back and forth as Kris let his tongue circle around the head. Kris took in more of Adam's dick until the tip of it hit the back of his throat, his cheeks hollowing out.

"Shiiii—" Adam moaned as his whole body bucked upward off the bed, tight as a bowstring. Kris grinned around Adam's dick, his fangs poking out.

Kris put his hand on Adam's hip, using as gentle a pressure as he could to force Adam back down onto the bed. Adam collapsed back onto the sheets, energy still thrumming through him. Kris started to move up and down on his dick, swirling his tongue around. Adam moved his legs wider as he got more pliant on the bed, and that's when Kris saw it.

The single puncture wounds at the juncture of Adam's leg and groin told Kris more than he needed to know.

Now Kris just needed to know what Master Vampire had kept Adam as a Pet.

But first he was going to take his time driving Adam crazy with need.

~~~

Kris waited until Adam was deeply asleep before extracting himself from the bed and putting his pants back on. The sun would be up in an hour, but Kris wasn't tired. Fucking Adam into the mattress had calmed his demon down, but now he was restless, mulling over what he was going to do. Normally he'd kill his meal and not think twice. Adam was something new.

Kris didn't believe in keeping Pets. His sire hadn't, and he didn't either. No one in the clan except for Cook and Anoop even knew they existed, a fact Kris had purposely kept from them. The older clans in Europe believed in them, and while there were a few in the States, keeping Pets had never really taken root.  
Humans were food or the plaything of the night, not meant for being kept around for years on end and being lead around on invisible strings. If they didn't go insane, or displease their Master, most were turned within three years tops.

Yet somehow Adam had ended up practically on his doorstep, having the telltale signs of being a Master's Pet, yet he wasn't any of the things Kris expected. And somehow he'd kept who his former Master was to himself. When Adam woke up, he was going to have some explaining to do.

Kris stepped into the main foyer and walked over to the bar in the corner. Taking out a tumbler and the bottle of whiskey, Kris collapsed into one of the chairs and tried to think.

Kris could sense the tension in his demon as the sun started its ascent. His clan was back safe and everyone was in the final stages before slumber, some Kris could sense were even already asleep.

Everyone except Cook and Archie.

Archie crashed through the front door first, Cook coming through the open doorway right after his mate, only smoldering a little from the first rays of dawn. As soon as he closed the door Cook captured Archie in a rough kiss.

Finally separating, Archie had a delighted smile on his face. "Coming to bed?"

Cook spotted Kris from where he was sitting in the corner of the room with his tumbler of whiskey. "I think Kris wants to talk."

Archie turned and saw Kris for himself. "Is he still confused about the pretty black song bird?"

Kris raised his eyebrow. "I think he is Archie, I think he is." Cook had a smirk on his face.

"I say we keep him." Archie said with a nod of his head. "I think we should be his new family now. His last one was bas bad bad." Archie yawned. Giving Cook another heated kiss he said, "Don't be up too late." He gave Cook a pat on the chest before wandering off towards their chambers, whistling to himself and wandering side to side.

"You're an idiot, you know that right?" Kris said as Cook took his own tumbler from the bar, walking over and sitting in the chair across from him.

"Neal was telling me that when I was little, so tell me something I don't know." Cook said around a yawn, his native Boston accent bleeding through. Pouring his own glass he said, "So tell me about your pretty boy."

"He's a Master's Pet… or at least he was." Kris said.

"No one *was* a Master's Pet. They either are or they aren't." Cook said before taking a sip of his whiskey. "Do you know whose?" Kris shook his head. Cook continued. "You mean to tell me that even though you fucked him through the mattress, he still didn't tell you?"

"He was occupied."

"I don't doubt it." Cook smirked. The smirk quickly died on his lips. "The better question is how he stayed in our territory for so long and we didn't know about it."

"No shit." Kris took a sip of his own whiskey.

"So what are we going to do next?"

"We?" Kris raised his eyebrow.

Cook raised his glass. "When you turned me on that dingy street in Southie, what'd ya make me promise?"

"Forever. The two of us against the world."

"Time's changed, that hasn't." Cook shrugged. "So what's the plan?"

"I don't know." Kris growled out. He hated not knowing what was coming more than anything.

"Well then the first thing we have to do is talk to that pretty boy of yours."

"Adam." Cook raised his eyebrow.

Cook smirked. "Well then Adam needs to tell us why he thought it was such a brilliant idea to come knocking in on your turf. And you need to figure out if you want a charity case or a mate." Cook said before draining his glass, getting out of his chair. "I'm a lot of things, but stupid ain't one of them." He gripped Kris's shoulder. "Because last time I saw that look in your eyes it nearly killed you." He said before walking off towards his chambers where his mate was waiting for him.

Kris hated when Cook decided to be smart.

~~~

Kris finished the bottle before he walked back to his chambers. He didn't actually need to, but it gave him something to do while he thought.

Kris had gained a bit of a reputation over the century as the Master of the West Coast. LA was where he called home, even though with it's sun drenched climate and cheery people Los Angeles was the last place a vampire would think to call home. But Kris always liked defying the norm, and his second was no different. Cook even laughed in the face of those who expected him to conform. Those were the kind of people Kris and Cook had collected around them. The ones who you didn't see coming.

They'd stumbled into Megan and Anoop on vacation in Egypt in 1926, Kris showing Cook the world in a new way he'd never seen before. The couple were playing tourist. If tourist included taking a third to their bed every night and fucking him stupid before draining him dry. Which was what they'd tried to do to Kris before they realized their error. Anoop had just smiled with Megan muttering "Our bad" smiling that smile of hers that could light up a room. Kris had enjoyed their bravado so much he had invited them to come to his own bed that night and they had been tagging along with Kris ever since.

Matt had been a street musician in New York during the Great Depression, playing the piano like it was a part of him. Well until Megan had batted her pretty blue eyes at Anoop. Just like that Matt had joined the group. Matt still played at the club Kris owned in LA when the spirit moved him.

Taking in Archie hadn't been in Kris's plans. Once upon a time Archie had probably been a sweet kid living in some town in Middle America, but that was before Simon Cowell had taken an interest in him.

In Archie's saner moods, it was obvious to anyone who could listen that Archie was a good singer. Kris had never met Cowell, but Kelly had told him all about Cowell's penchant for collecting singers and if he didn't drive them insane before he killed them, he left them just on the edge before turning them. Cowell was drawn to their talent, Kelly told him. It had been the reason he had turned her after all. She was just lucky she had been stronger than Cowell thought.

Archie wasn't.

Cook and Kris were out late one night, tempting fate and chance to see how long they could stay out before they were compelled to flee indoors for safety from the sun, when Cook had heard someone faintly singing an old Irish folksong from inside the park they were stumbling past. Wanting to know who would be singing one of the songs his mama had sung to him every night when he was little, the two of them had followed the sound to see a young boy huddled in on himself and humming, hiding his face behind his shaggy mane of dark hair.

"You're not Simon." Archie had tilted his head to the side after Cook had cajoled the boy to lift his head. "Have you come to take me home?"

"Home?" Cook had asked the boy gently.

"Simon brought me here and told me to stay until he came back." Archie said as he bit his lip. Cook and Kris could see the points of his fangs as he bit hard enough to draw blood.

Sunlight was in twenty minutes. They both knew Simon wasn't coming.

"Why don't you come home with us huh?" Cook said lightly. "Simon wants us to look after you now."

"Really?" The smile Archie suddenly turned on them was bright. "I like you. You remind me of the teddy bear I had when I was little Davey." Archie had said as he put his arms around Cook's neck. It was hard for Kris to hold back his laugh.

Cook and Archie were inseparable after that. Cook had told Kris after that first night that he knew Archie was his mate the moment Archie had raised his head and looked Cook in the eye. And that if Cook ever saw Cowell face to face he was going to rip Cowell's spine out of his throat, Master Vampire or not.

Kris didn't have an argument for that one.

In the decades since they had gained and lost a few members of the clan, but the six of them had stayed together. Even when Kris finally decided he was tired of traveling and wanted to make LA home, they hadn't argued. Kris's power grew steadily until it became clear he was the real force behind LA's underground.

Which in hindsight made it obvious why a runaway Master's Pet had decided the best place to hide was in plain sight. Another Master vampire couldn't make a move in California without Kris knowing.

Now the only question was who was Adam running from.

Because Cook was right; Kris had finally found his mate. And he'd be damned if another Master was going to take him from him. Not this time.

~~~

Kris was sitting in the large chair in the corner of his chamber watching Adam sleep. The boy must have gotten up sometime during the hours Kris was debating with himself because he had cleaned the makeup off his face. Instead of the dark rimmed kohl eyes and the face covered in concealer, Kris could see what Adam really looked like underneath, freckles and all.

"You're staring." Kris heard faintly through the pillow Adam's face was mashed into.

Kris just hummed.

Adam turned to the side and looked towards the corner. "So I don't think saying the sex was the best I've ever had is going to get me out of here is it?"

Kris shook his head.

Adam rubbed his eyes. "Do you have any human food around? I'm starving."

"You are awfully cavalier for being in a Master vampire's chambers." Kris said.

Adam sat up in the bed and let the sheets pool around him, unashamed of his nakedness. "You're not my first rodeo."

Kris gave Adam's body the once over in bed, imagining the body under the sheets that he had pleasured just hours before. "That was obvious."

Adam shifted on the bed and sat up, letting his bare feet touch the floor. "Do you have something I can wear?"

Kris tilted his head in the direction of his chest of drawers. "Something in there might fit."

Adam shuffled over and opened the top drawer. "Surprised you're letting me just go through your drawers like this."

"Nothing you haven't seen before or I need to hide." Kris said.

Adam shrugged his shoulder. "Still." He pulled out an old, thread bare pair of boxers. He pulled them on and walked over to where his shirt from last night lay wrinkled on the floor, putting it on but not bothering to button it up, Kris watching him the whole time. "You know if I were a more modest man…"

"You wouldn't even be here."

"True." Adam smirked. "Maybe you are as good as he says."

"Who?"

"Simon Cowell. My former Master."

~~~

Adam was cooking on the stove in the never used kitchen, making a grilled cheese sandwich from the pieces of cheese and the bread he found in the bare refrigerator. Kris was suddenly glad Siobhan was going through a human phase.

"Before everything I used to work for the traveling production of Wicked." Adam started. "I was Elphaba every night to packed audiences and my director liked to joke that I had a voice that could break glass if I ever put my mind to it." He flipped the sandwich on the griddle. "We were doing two weeks worth of shows at the Globe. Second night there the owner of the theater himself comes over and compliments me on my performance." Adam paused. "Never had that happen to me before. Usually the people who owned the theaters we performed in were nameless faceless idiots who only thought owning a theater made them looked cultured and worldly when really they were just guys with lots of money who needed an excuse to spend it. Simon was the first guy who had it both. Money and he thought I was good." He trailed off as he turned off the burner.

Kris could see where this was going, but he was interested to see how Adam finished it.

Adam put his sandwich on a plate and brought it over to the large table Kris was sitting at. "I saw Simon every night after that. After that first night I was able to spot him every night in the owner's box and I kicked ass on that stage for every performance." He sat caddy corner to Kris and took a bite into his sandwich before continuing. "Final night Simon comes up to me and says that he wants me to star in the Globe's first run of 'Joseph and the Techinicolor Dreamcoat'. That he had put the whole project on the back burner because he couldn't find his Joseph and I was it. I was his Joseph. Simon had even cleared it with the travelling company so I could leave them and start rehearsals." Adam bit his lip. "Who the hell was I to say no? I thought I'd be an idiot to turn it down. Turns out I was more of an idiot to say yes."

"That was the first night we had sex. He didn't reveal himself to me then, but I was so high and stupid and giddy from being offered a headlining role he probably could have and I wouldn't have even noticed."

Kris could feel his demon growling that Simon had taken what was his first, but there was nothing for it now. Not seeing Kris's inner rage Adam continued. "I was in his bed almost exclusively after that. He told me that rehearsals would start soon, but since I didn't have anywhere else to go, and he was a willing partner, I should just stay with him. A week later he fed on me for the first time."

"It was such a high. Better than the 'shrooms I'd taken at Burning Man the first year I went. So I let him do it to me again and again. I was so messed up so quickly that after a while I didn't even remember why I was with Simon in the first place. Wicked, my life back home… Simon kept me so strung along that I didn't know anything else." Adam looked down at his sandwich and didn't want to meet Kris's eyes in that moment. "I was Simon's arm candy. He could dress me up and I would sing on command and Simon would get praise from everyone at his parties that he had found such a catch." Adam smirked. "That Adam is really going places. It's amazing you found him Simon." He pantomimed.

"It didn't take much for a vampire's blood to become intoxicating to a human if you feed on them enough. Keep them undernourished and constantly on the edge and it was even easier. Kris was glad he'd decided not to wake Cook when he heard Adam say Simon's name. Cook would have destroyed half the mansion by now.

"Before I knew it a year had passed. Simon had decided he was bored with London and wanted to move back to New York but I didn't care. As long as I had my next fix and Simon was happy with me, he could have done anything he wanted." Adam said as he popped a piece of grilled sandwich into his mouth. "I almost got to Alli before it was too late because of it."

"Simon had hooked Allison the same way he had hooked me. She was in Mary Poppins and absolutely getting wasted as the oldest child. That much I do remember. He had brought the two of us backstage and in my haze I remember hearing this loud laugh. The kind that was really happy and shit you know?" Kris just nodded. "And I realize it's coming from this girl with real bright red hair. Magenta bright red. It took me a minute to realize it was the same girl I had seen on stage. I liked that laugh." Adam paused for a minute.

"Simon made his pitch to her, same way he did to me. I don't even remember what he said, I was just watching her. The way her face lit up when Simon made the offer. The gratitude already in her eyes. She said she had to talk to her family first but she was so glad that someone wanted to take a chance on her. So glad." Adam bit his lip. This part of the story obviously was something he had been avoiding.

"He was riding me that night and saying how beautiful it would look with the two of us in the bed with him. I had the clearest thought I'd had since I had first met Cowell, laying there as he pounded into me."  
"I wasn't going to let that happen to her." Adam stopped for a moment.

"By that time Simon had trusted me and thought that I was so far gone he didn't have to chain me up, lock me down, or anything. I slipped out when everyone had finally gone to sleep and Simon was catching his forty winks. It was a good thing Simon hadn't brought everybody with him yet otherwise his human guards wouldn't have let me pass."

"I didn't know where to go, what to do. The only thing I had to go on was the theater. So I ran there, hoping maybe she was in early rehearsals, or maybe I'd have something to go on once I got there. I didn't know what I was going to say, who'd believe me, but I couldn't think of anything else."

"Allison was saying bye to her mom when I saw her. I must have looked insane when I came up to her. But she humored me when she took me to her small dressing room backstage. I started telling her that she couldn't take Simon's offer, that he was a liar and nothing was going to happen. When I mentioned the word vampire I could swear her eyebrows met her hairline. But then I showed her the bite marks on my neck and she freaked out. She didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to do. Because if Allison stayed around Simon was sure to find her and force her to bend to his will if she didn't go with him. So I convinced her to leave. Run home and say one of the PAs forced themselves on her and she couldn't go back. Simon didn't know where she lived, so she was safe if she never showed her face again." Adam laughed, the sound sharp and loud in the empty space. "I told her she'd make a killing if she got a record deal. Allison belonged on a rock stage, that magenta hair flying in the wind, not on some Broadway stage pretending to be someone else."

"We trashed her dressing room, wrecked her clothes, and wow was she good at welling up the crocodile tears and lying her way through the fake story." Adam smiled. "She gave me a kiss on the cheek and said 'Wish I had met you in a different life Adam. Bet it would have been a blast.' Then she was gone." Adam was subconsciously playing with the cuff of his shirt.

"That left me alone sitting outside the performer's door for the theater not having any idea what I should do next. I couldn't go back because Simon would kill me. That I knew. But I couldn't go home because my family thought I was dead. I hadn't seen them in over a year, hadn't talked to them, and no one knew where I was anymore."

"So I ran. Spent the first few nights on the streets, turned some tricks cause I didn't know what else to do. Hitched a couple rides cross country, changed my hair, my face, the way I lived… tried to get as far away from the Adam that Simon knew that I could." Adam sighed.

"You got lucky." Kris said slowly. Kris's demon was crowing in triumph that his boy had found the one time Simon was vulnerable and had taken advantage. If he ever meet this Allison, he was probably going to give her a kiss.

Adam shook his head. "Stupidly lucky." Adam bit his lip. "More stupid than lucky. It took me a couple days to remember that Simon absolutely hated you and that hiding in LA was the better option than anywhere else." He took a breath. "That first night I saw you in the club I thought I had imagined you. Then I saw you last night and everything changed."

Adam looked Kris in the eye. "What are you going to do now?"

"Well we can't do anything until nightfall." Kris said, even though he could sense that it was only a few hours away. "Cook should know what happened to you, but he's got a nasty habit of being a downright bastard if you don't let him get his beauty rest."

"So what are we going to do until then?" Adam smirked.

"I think I know something we can do." Kris said as he captured Adam's lips. Now that he knew who had made those marks he wanted to mark Adam as his own, deep enough that it could never be doubted Adam was his and his alone. One hand was fisted in Adam's hair, black strands gripped tight as he tugged, and the other one had slipped under Adam's shirt, stroking up and down over Adam's chest. "Want to make you mine. Mark you up so no one touches you." Kris said between kisses.

"I like that idea." Adam replied as Kris lead the two of them back to Kris's chambers. As soon as the door was closed Adam had his shirt off and was pawing at Kris's pants. Kris helped Adam shimmy out of his pants and yanked down the boxers Adam had borrowed. Pushing Adam back onto the bed Kris climbed up on top of him. "I think I'll start here." He said as he let his fangs scrape over the scar left by Cowell on Adam's neck. "Then maybe here," He continued as he went further down and nipped at Adam's hip bone. "And I can't forget here." Kris finished as he reached Adam's dick, licking a flat stripe along the side.

"Can't… forget…" Adam moaned, one hand fisted in the bed sheets and the other hovering over Kris's hair.

Kris made his way back up Adam's body. He kissed the unmarked side of Adam's throat, nipping and sucking between kisses. One of his hands was tugging gently on Adam's dick while the other was ghosting circles over Adam's hip. It didn't take long before Kris was stroking Adam's dick faster and faster, bringing him to climax.

Adam was pliant beneath him, blissed out smile on his face as Kris brought his hand to his face, licking Adam's cum off his fingers. "Almost better than blood." He smiled, fangs peaking out.

"Fuck that's hot." Adam breathed out.

Kris's hand snaked back down Adam's body, stroking his dick back to hardness. It didn't take long before Adam was moaning again, and like Pavlov's dogs, the sound made Kris hard too. "Gonna fuck you." Kris said, rutting against Adam's side.

"Yes." Adam hissed.

Kris moved over Adam's body, bracing his arms on either side of Adam's head. Ducking down for a kiss, Kris's tongue stroking Adam's before going to the back of his mouth. Adam stroked Kris's dick, prepping it for entering Adam's body.

Adam moved Kris's dick to just above his entrance, Kris getting the message loud and clear. Adam hissed slightly as the head of Kris's dick slipped past the ring of muscle around his hole. Kris wanted to give Adam a moment, but Adam urged Kris on as he pushed further down on his cock. Kris pushed all the way in, already angling his body so he could hit Adam's prostate with every stroke.

It only took a few strokes before Adam's body was strung taught, muscles coiled in anticipation and sweat slicked with desire. "Fuck. Kris.. I need you to… fuck." Adam started muttering, his cock hard as a rock and leaking precome out the tip.

"Hmm?" Kris asked Adam innocently, using one of his hands to tweak Adam's cock. He started pounding into Adam harder, feeling his own release coming.

"I want… bite…" Adam struggled to get out, before he was completely incoherent.

"You want me to bite you? Mark you here?" Kris whispered, nuzzling Cowell's scar. "Make you mine so no one ever touches you again?"

"Yes please." Adam begged, half mad with desire.

It wasn't that different draining a human from marking them as your own. It was just a simple matter of will. Kris kissed the scar on Adam's neck before embedding his fangs in Adam's flesh, letting his demon infuse the smallest bit of will into the act. Adam's blood was sweet, sweeter than any he'd tasted in a long time, and at the first taste Kris came. Kris felt Adam's own cum splash against his stomach as he rode the wave of desire from Kris drinking his blood.

Once he'd had his fill, Kris licked at the last few drops and kissed the marks, leaving a bloody kiss mark on the side of Adam's neck. "That's better." Kris whispered against Adam's skin.

"Do it again." Adam muttered into Kris's neck, his own blunt teeth biting down.

Kris smiled. "Maybe later."

~~~

Kris would miss the chair more than anything.

He had been right that Cook would destroy the mansion if he had heard Adam's story through its first telling. The second telling didn't make it any easier for Kris to hear and not want to destroy something himself.

Kris had woken Cook before anyone else in the mansion was stirring, telling him he had a story he needed to hear. Just mentioning the name had Cook up and pacing. By the time Adam got to how Simon had reeled him in and strung him along, Cook was attacking one of the chairs. The chair was in tatters and fluff before Adam was done with the end of his tale.

"Ripping his spine out through his throat isn't good enough for him. I think I'll cut open his stomach and play with his entrails THEN pull out his spine. Maybe I'll let Archie use his entrails for fingerpaint and let Cowell watch as he does it." Cook growled.

"All good ideas. But we need to catch him first." Kris placated Cook.

"Use me." Adam's voice was small as he sat in the one chair not destroyed by Cook in the living area.

"What?" Kris bit out the word with an almost subhuman growl.

"Let Simon know I'm in LA. No matter how much he hates you his pride won't let him not come and try to take me back."

"You're insane if you think I'm going to let you…"

"Let me what?" Adam interrupted Kris.

"I'm not letting you go. You're mine, I just found you, and you're not allowed…" Kris trailed off.

"I'm not allowed to what? You're just going to get rid of me when you've killed Cowell anyway!" Adam yelled as he stood up from his chair.

"If you think I'm going to let my mate go that easily into a fucking trap…"

"I'm… your mate." Adam's statement fell between them like a lead weight. "Fuck. So that… yeah… fuck." Adam let out a crazed giggle. "No wonder."

Kris tilted his head. "No wonder what?"

"That voice in the back of my head that's lead me to everything good in my life told me to trust you. That you'd never hurt me." Adam bit his lip in nervousness. "I ignored it once and I lost almost everything."

Kris closed the distance between them in one step. Cupping the back of Adam's neck he said. "I have this habit of fiercely protecting what's mine. And you're mine." He hissed before claiming Adam's lips in a forceful kiss.

"I think I can live with that." Adam whispered against Kris's lips when Kris allowed him a second to breathe.

"Not that this isn't touching." Cook said, breaking up the kiss, "But I want to hear what he's thinking."

"It doesn't matter, he's not doing it." Kris said, a note of finality in his voice.

If it was anyone else, Kris would have probably ripped off an arm for what Cook said next. "Don't even try to lie and tell me you don't want Cowell dead as badly as I do." Cook spat out, his fangs down and eyes red, his demon closer to the surface than Kris had seen since he first turned him, "On our turf, and planning ahead? Kris, we can get him. Nail his fucking ass and watch as it burns up in the sun."

Kris knew Cook had a point. If Cowell was on their turf, their terms, they really had a chance. And if he tried to pull anything the two of them hadn't thought of, then they could have Anoop there to think of everything else. Anoop was incredibly smart when he wasn't fucking Megan or Matt up the ass. "But we come up with every back up plan in the known universe. And have Anoop think of some more." Kris finally said.

Cook shook his head. "No argument from me. Anoop's almost smarter than both of us combined."

Kris laughed. "Just don't let him hear you say that."

"No shit." Cook smirked.

"So how do we get Cowell's attention?" Kris turned back to Adam.

"Ryan. Simon's second? Has a weakness for LA, Hollywood, all that crap. I heard him grumble once that if you weren't the Master of the West Coast he would have taken it a long time ago." Adam said.

Kris gave Adam a kiss on the corner of his mouth. "So glad I disappointed him." Kris left unsaid how ballsy and dangerous it was for Adam to make that first decision to come to LA. Knowing Cowell's second wanted it, not knowing if Kris would even allow Adam to stay if the situation had been different. Adam really was the perfect mate for him.

"But Ryan still reads all the trades, the magazines… it's how Cowell gets a good half of his Pets. If we let it slip out that LA's new it singer was going to perform a sold out show…" Adam trailed off.

"And if that new it singer was you." Cook supplied.

"They'd come running." Adam finished.

"That could work." Kris said. "If we control it right, get the right crowd, the two of them would have nowhere to go except right where we want them."

"And I know just the place to go."

~~~

Kris might have been the Master Vampire of LA but he didn't actually believe in throwing his power around. So while he did own a few establishments, Kris relied a bit more on who he knew that what he owned.

It didn't take much to let slip that there was a new undiscovered talent that was going to be the next big thing. Or that he was going to be performing at the one club Kris might be a part owner of.

Knowing Brad made all of that easier than it sounded.

Brad… Kris couldn't help the smirk that was more of a smile when Brad was around. A spunky street teen when he met him, Brad had endeared himself to Kris more for what he didn't want to be than what he was. Strongly opinionated and a wit he cracked faster than a whip, Brad had been one of the very few people Kris had let go before the end of the night, letting him be one of the few humans Kris kept his eye on. And when Brad decided he wanted to be the owner of one of the swankiest, ritziest clubs that everyone just had to be at, Kris had asked if he could help. Anoop had even mentioned to Kris that it wasn't a bad idea to have a hand in one of the clubs in town. Made it so that if they had to do something morally questionable in the human world there was some place they could do it in.

Brad had told Kris that the only thing he wanted before he publicized Adam was to hear him sing. Cook and Adam weren't even back to the mansion before Brad was on the phone, "Hell I'd do it even if it wasn't you. Boy can sing that pert little ass off."

Brad had a way with words too.

With Brad agreeing to their setup, everything else fell eerily into place. Kris realized that Brad really wasn't joking when he told Kris that his club was going to be the place everyone talked about, from the upscale boutiques to the shadiest corners of the streets.

Kris, Cook, Anoop, and a little help from Brad, were able to find ways to cover every exit on Adam's big night, giving Simon no chance of escape. Anoop had even used a few of his older back channel contacts from back went he had been traveling the world with Megan and gotten word that Ryan had taken the bait and so had Cowell. Turned out Cowell's own pride really wouldn't let Adam just walk away. But Kris was still worried.

"I can hear you thinking." Adam muttered the night before their performance, blitzed out on sex and his head mashed into the pillow.

Kris was feeling restless, anxious, and if he hadn't fucked Adam into the mattress he knew he'd be filled with anxious energy and pacing. "Cowell's going to pull something, I know it." Kris muttered as his fingers passed over Adam's side.

Adam turned his head. "If you're so worried, turn me." He said nonchalantly with a shrug of his shoulders.

Kris 's fingers instantly stopped. He's be lying if he said he wasn't thinking about it constantly, if his demon wasn't goading him along telling him that they wouldn't have to protect Adam if he was one of their own. It appealed to him, but there was still a part of Kris that didn't want to change Adam just yet. Maybe after this was all over he'd turn him. But for now, Kris had more things to worry about than a newborn vampire. Even if it was Adam. Especially if it was Adam.

"Not… not yet." Kris said lowly.

"It'll be fine." Adam muttered before nodding off.

Kris lay staring at the ceiling long after the sun came up.

~~~

True to Brad's words, Indigo was standing room only that night. Kris had to hand it to Brad, he really knew how to promote something.

Sitting high in the VIP area for the start of the night, Kris sat with Cook and Archie, making sure their special guest made his appearance.

"I can see the thoughts swirling around your head. Like little mice. Get him, get him, get him they're chirping." Archie's voice broke through Kris's thoughts. Archie was snuggled into Cook's side, head turned into Cook's shoulder with his face peaking out. His lips curled into a smile, with one of his fangs peaking out. "Simon's in trouuuuble." Archie turned his face back into Cook's shoulder with a pleased giggle.

"Yes he is babe." Cook said as he carded his hand through Archie's hair. "Lots and lots of trouble." He kissed the top of Archie's head.

"Found him." Kris said out of the corner of his mouth. For all the ways his sire had talked about Cowell, Kelly had left out that he was not that imposing of a vampire. Close cropped dark hair, dressed in black slacks and a black t-shirt, Simon Cowell could very easily be confused for some guy with a nine to five job taking his girlfriend out for a night out not a 400 plus year old vampire who took pleasure in breaking people and making them something new… if not completely back together.

The girl on his arm was staring at Simon like she was his whole world, and in that moment she probably was. Kris could suddenly imagine that look on his mate's face, looking at that bastard like that, and it made his demon rage. It took all of Kris's self restraint not to jump down and beat Simon senseless.

Cook's subhuman growl was unmistakable. "You'll get your chance." Kris growled back. "We all will."

Archie giggled high and loud. "I love parties. The food's always so yummy." He said against Cook's sleeve. "But first can't we watch the entertainment?"

At Archie's words Kris saw Brad peak his head out from the side stage. At a barely perceptible nod Brad ducked back stage.

Everything was ready.

~~~

"You sure you're ready for this sugar? That target on your back's only going to get bigger stepping on that stage." Brad tisked as he picked off a piece of imaginary lint on the shoulder of Adam's shirt.

"Kris has it covered." Adam said as he twirled the mic nervously in his hands. "I trust him with my life."

"If you want to trust anybody in this stupid town, Kris is definitely somebody you can trust." Brad said.

"Yeah." The corner of Adam's mouth twisted into a smile. "So let's get this started." He took a deep breath before standing up.

"Whatever you say hot stuff." Brad smiled. "Showtime it is."

~~~

Singing had been the one thing Adam hadn't shared with Kris. Sure he'd heard Adam humming, especially while he was going down on him, but never full singing.

That was going to change after tonight.

Adam was singing his last song of the night, some crazy cover of a Johnny Cash song, for a few moments his voice practically soaring over the crowd. Kris let out a smile, one that turned feral and dangerous when he saw Simon looking at the stage with that glint in his eye. Kris was going to have fun pulling his limbs apart for coveting what was Kris's all along.

"You should get into position." Anoop said into Kris's ear. He had made his way up to the VIP area with Megan at the beginning of the set after doing one last check that all their people were in place. Matt was up on the stage, playing the keyboard and their emergency backup just in case something happened.

"You've got Arch, right?" Cook said as Megan sat down next to the younger vampire.

"Safe as houses." Megan smiled as she put her arm around Archie's shoulders.

Archie looked from Megan and then back to Cook, an identical smile on his face. "I like picket fences. They're pointy."

Cook kissed Archie on the top of the head before the two of them left. "He dies you know what happens." Cook warned Anoop.

"We'll protect him like he's ours, you know that." Anoop soothed.

"Go catch the bad vampire." Archie smiled as he tried to shoo Kris and Cook out. The two of them took his advice.

Weaving through the crowd, the two of them were finally at the doors that lead to the backstage area, knowing that Simon would try for Adam first before making any kind of exit.

The crowd noise was loud when Adam finally finished his set, applause big in the confined space of the club.

"Your boy really hit it tonight." Cook said as the two stared at each other, coiled and ready for anything.

Kris smirked. "Yeah, he did." They heard more than saw Adam and Matt get off the stage with the rest of the backup band, the two of them rushing off to the small fortified room that wasn't going to open until they got the signal from someone on the outside.

It felt like they were waiting for hours before the backstage door creaked open. Cook let out a hard punch, connecting with the face of whoever had opened the door. Brad was in charge of directing backstage traffic, making it so that the only one who opened that backstage door was who he wanted them to. Namely Simon Cowell and Cowell only.

"Ow." Cowell's English accent was muddled by the blood that leaked out of his nose. His eyes were already red and his fangs prominent when Kris finally saw him face to face. "So you're Kris Allen."

Kris cocked his head to the side. "Cowell."

"Where's that whore of mine?" Cowell sneered.

Kris punched Cowell in the face again. "He's not yours. Call him a whore again. See what I do. More importantly, see what I let him do." Kris inclined his head in Cook's direction. Cook's hands were in fists and his fangs were out, hissing in Cowell's direction.

"So I did break his mate. I thought that was just a rumor." Cowell said with a sneer. "I didn't think he'd last this long at all. Boy was so frail when I met him I didn't even think he'd last through his turning." Cowell tisked.

The gun cocking wasn't unusual to Kris's ears. He'd heard them enough in his lifetime; he was just stronger than anyone else who thought they could actually use them to any kind of advantage.

Cook emptied the whole clip into Cowell. They both knew it wouldn't kill him, but it would knock him out enough for the two of them to transport him back to the mansion.

Kris raised his eyebrow once he heard the first click of the empty clip. "I hate English assholes." Cook muttered.

"Don't we all." Kris muttered as the two of them lifted up Cowell's limp body and transported him out of the club.

~~~

Not much could hold a vampire. Rope was a complete lost cause, modern handcuffs were a joke, and doping up only kept a vampire under for an hour at most.

Old iron shackles were the best. One for each arm and leg. Also keeping the vampire under a constant morphine IV drip in concentrations that could kill an actual human made them pliant enough that they wouldn't struggle too much.

When they had finally gotten Simon back to the mansion, they had shackled him to the strongest chair they had with the shackles Cook and Archie had in their bedroom on the nights they were feeling more… adventurous. Anoop had feed the IV into Cowell's arm, and they had three bags of morphine attached to the drip. They had more just in case.

Kris, Cook, Adam and Archie all stood in different locations in the main foyer they had shackled Cowell in. Kris was going to let Cook loose on Cowell, while Adam and Archie were off to the side, both of them wanting to watch. Well Archie wanted to watch Cook be his avenging black winged angel. Adam just wanted to see Cowell suffer.

"Wakey wakey." Cook intoned as he threw a bucket of ice cold water on Cowell. Cowell roared as he was awakened abruptly with the icy chill of the water.

"Well, well." Cowell drawled. They hadn't treated the gunshot wounds, so they were still leaking blood as Cowell let the shackles rattle. Cowell looked over and saw Archie and Adam. "The whore and the broken toy are even here too. It's a family reunion." He sneered. Cook punched him in the face again as Archie clapped and let out a laugh.

Cowell spit out the blood that had collected in his mouth from the punch. "Is that all you've got?" He smiled, his front tooth missing and all of them stained red.

"That was just the wakeup call." Kris smirked.

"Well then I'm going to enjoy my stay." Cowell said. "I'm actually rather comfortable right now." He smirked.

"You're insane." Adam said.

"I'm a vampire. There's a difference." Cowell grunted after Cook punched him again.

"Yes there is. There's also a difference between us and you." Kris said as Cook took out a long bladed knife. Cook sliced a long deep cut across Cowell's abdomen. "You're our play thing until the sun comes up. Then we'll let you burn to dust slowly in the sun."

"Why not…"

"Why not just let you burn up? Thought of that. But you took what's mine. You broke what was his." Kris said as Cook sliced another neat cut across Cowell's abdomen. "It's only right that we make you suffer for it. Don't you think?"

"If you do this, there's no where you'll be able to hide. You know that. Otherwise you really are that dumb." Cowell taunted.

"Let them come." Kris said flippantly. "As long as you're dead, it really doesn't matter."

"Is that what you all think?" Simon looked over towards Anoop, standing still in the farthest corner of the room.

"I'd follow Kris to the end, if that's what you're asking. And so would my mates." Anoop said, no hint of doubt in his voice.

"And everyone else in this room just wants you dead." Kris shrugged.

"But that doesn't mean we can't have some fun." Cook said as he pulled out a corkscrew. He had a whole bag of torture instruments, the knife and the corkscrew were just the start.

Hours later, and surprisingly minimal screaming from Cowell, Cook had reached the end of his bag. They had broken all of Cowell's fingers, chopped off the toes on one of his foot, and had bored into more than one of the bullet holes, making the holes wider and allowing more blood to flow. Archie had been the one to participate in the last one. He still had Cowell's blood splattered on his face and a grin on his lips, humming one of the songs Adam had sung that night to himself.

Cowell was still conscious, but barely. He hadn't stopped chuckling to himself for the last twenty minutes though.

"What the hell are you finding so funny?" Kris asked calmly.

It was tough to understand Cowell since they had drugged him to the breaking point, a few of his teeth were missing and his face resembled something more like hamburger meat from the pummeling it had taken. "She's going to rain hell on each and every one of you." He looked at everyone in the room evenly.

"Who?" Kris asked.

"My master." Cowell smirked.

"I'll take the risk." Kris said. His senses could just feel dawn on the horizon. "Seems like your time's run out Cowell. You feel that don't you?"

"Dawn." Cowell eyes widened almost imperceptibly.

Kris saw it though. It was with a smile on his face that he said, "Set him up."

Anoop unhooked the IV, pulling it out none too kindly. It was a testament to how much they had worked Cowell over that it didn't even make him hiss or wince from the pain. The drugs wouldn't leave his system before he was dust anyway. Anoop helped Cook lift the chair with Cowell in it while Adam held the door open. The two hefted Cowell out to the mansion's lawn, the purple of dawn giving way to the oranges of the sunrise. Cook and Anoop made their way back inside, Adam bolting the door closed.

Kris gave them their own glasses of bourbon. The three of them were going to wait until they knew Cowell was well and truly dead this time before turning in for the night.

Adam and Archie wanted to watch Cowell burn up though.

So instead of the large main window being boarded up and covered in its customary blackout curtains, one of the boards had been removed so that they could peak through.

Kris was almost to the bottom of his glass when the screaming started. For all his bravado, there was still one thing that made Cowell scream as if he unlife depended on it even though it didn't matter.

When the screaming stopped Anoop looked over at the grandfather clock in the corner. "Ten minutes."

"I hoped it would be longer." Cook said as Archie came over to Cook's side, the burn from staring out at the actual sunrise still healing on his face.

"But you made the bad man stop." Archie said as Cook put his arm over Archie's shoulders.

"Night." Cook said before the two of them walked off, Archie whispering into his ear the whole way. Cook let out a loud laugh before they completely disappeared from view.

"Cook and Arch have the right idea." Anoop said to Kris and Adam moments later. "I don't want Matt and Megan to have all the fun without me."

"Yeah, we'll leave in a minute." Kris said, Anoop gripping Kris's shoulder briefly before walking away.

Kris and Adam sat together on the couch, Kris finishing his second glass of bourbon. "You feel better now?" Adam asked as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Kris turned to Adam.

Adam turned his head. "Once I found you I knew everything was going to be fine." Adam paused. "Wow even I didn't think I'd go that cheesy." Adam laughed as he covered his eyes for a moment.

"I'll let it go." Kris said after finishing his glass.

Adam kissed Kris savagely, biting his lower lip and cupping the back of his head. "Love you. Need you." He whispered against Kris's lips.

"You do this much longer I don't know how long I can restrain myself." Kris whispered back.

"I'm not asking you to."

"Definitely won't last." Kris muttered as Adam kissed down the side of his neck, soon giving in to the sensations Adam had been making him feel since that first night their eyes met.

**Author's Note:**

> I really don't know why I keep on making Archie insane/distraught in one form or another. I like him, I swear I do! If you couldn't tell, the Cook/Archie relationship was based heavily off of Spike/Drusilla from season 2 of Buffy. Insane!Archie just got into my head and wouldn't let go ;)
> 
> I left this uninentionally openended. (Can you even do that?) I might come back to this, I might not ;)


End file.
